Paul gmehlest



`(No Model.) I

P. 'GMEHLIN MUTE BAR IJMMIPER' FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS. L-No.- 353,301. v Patented Nov. 30, 1886;.

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UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL GMEHLTN, orv NEW YORK, n. Y.

MUTE-BAR DANlPER `FOR UFRIGHT PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,301, dated November 30, 1886.

(No model.)

front View oi' part ol' the mute-bar damper,

portion thereof being shown in section. 3 is a top View ofthe same. section of saine.

The object of my invention is to provide an upright piano with an attachment by means of which the instrument may be made inaudi- The annoyance suffered by neighbors and others from loud playing of beginners and practitioners will thus be entirely avoided.

The invention, in substance, consists in providing the instrument with a weighted and cushioned damper-bar, which carries a flexible apron and is wholly disconnected from any pedal, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, the letter A represents the upright piano, in which a are the strings, and b the ovcrstrings. ln front of these strings is a bar, B,H which, by preference, is made of metal and sullieiently heavy that it would damp the strings when placed against them. rlhis bar B carries a molding, d, to which is glued a strip, c, offelt, and this in turn carries a wider strip or apron, f, or" felt. The bar Bis attached to brackets g, which at 72. are pivoted to the frame or casing ot' the instrument. The bar B can be thrown forward by hand, so that it rests by its own weight on the Fig. Fig. 4 is a crossstrings of the piano and acts as a perfect damper.

C in Fig. 4L represents a ham mer.

Fig. A. clearly shows that when the bar B is let forward against the strings a, pressing the apron f against the saine, the latter lies in the path of the hammers, so that each hammer, instead of striking the string in its front, will only strike the apron, and therefore indirectly vibrate the string. The player will still hear the string gently sounded, but at a distance the operation will be inaudible. This arrangement is superior to contrivances which entirely suppress the production of sound in pianos, in that it permits the player to hear the music and judge of the correctness or incorrectness of his playing.

Vhen the bar Bis swung back, as is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4., the hammers will be in a position to strike the strings directly, in the ordinary manner. When the bar B is swung againstl the strings and the instrument played, it serves by its own weight to damp the string which receives the muffled blow through the apron.

The molding d is cut away near the treble end of the instrument, as is indicated at t' in Fig. 2, to allow the bar to be brought fully forward and avoid the bridgej, which would otherwise overlap. That part of the apronf which is to be placed against the ov-erstrings is set back, as atfh, (see Fig. 3,) of the other part ot' said apron far as the overstrings extend forward of the strings. The partsf andyX do not overlap.

For arresting the barB in its inactive position, suitable stops, m, may be secured in the frame or casing of the instrument.

I am aware that mutebar attach ments have been used which prevent the production of any sound; also that bars have been supplied with aprons to bring these aprons in the path ot' the hammers, but such bars were lnot damper-bars adapted to act by their own weight. i

l claini- The movable weighted dan1per-bar B, provided with the felt lacing c, and with the liexible apron f, which is adapted to be carried in or out ofthe path ofthe series of hara mers of a piano, the damper-bar with its felt facing serving by its own weight to damp the string which receives,y the muiiied blow, as speeiiied.

2. The weighted damper-bar B, combined with the molding d, having tapering portion t', and with the iiexible api-onf, substantially PAUL GMEHLIN.

Witnesses:

GnAnLEs G. M. TnoMAs, HARRY M. TURK.

IOO 

